The challenges of global climate change and energy security demands have made the development of renewable energy alternatives vital for the future of mankind. The use of direct sun radiation on solar panels can potentially produce more than enough energy to meet the energy needs of the entire planet. As the price of solar power decreases and that of conventional fuels rises, the solar business has entered a new era of worldwide growth.
In order to bring technologies to exploit solar energy one step closer to par with petroleum, efficiency rates of solar systems must improve.
Solar panel surfaces are typically made of high quality glass and the efficiency of the renewable energy they generate depends, among other things, on the cleanliness of the glass surfaces. Due to dust and other type of dirt and/or debris on the surfaces of the solar panels, energy losses, in some cases, can reach over forty percent (40%).
As most solar parks or other installations and concentrations of solar panels are located in desert areas where the sun's radiation is intensive and exposure to dusty conditions is high, cleaning the solar panels becomes essential.
Currently, existing cleaning processes of solar panels are costly, labor intensive and consume high volumes of water. Due to shortage of water in desert areas, solar panel cleaning using water, or wet cleaning, is a major obstacle for the solar industry.